One of most memorable and astonishing childhood experiences we all have is, watching a circus. Apart from stupidities and fall of funny jokers to trigger huge laughter, amazing performances of speed and balance mesmerized us. Unforgettable items like a girl standing on one leg on the running horse and jumping from a ring as the horse approach it, and again standing on running horse! Wow! Great combination of concentration and balance!
Today I wonder how important it is for an employee or an employer, to learn from the circus. When we, the audience see joker as an idiot and a fool, how does joker sees himself? He does not only feel like an ‘artist’, a ‘performer’, but he believes so with conviction. He does not accept other’s devalued opinion about himself and keeps his mind in a high esteem and equanimity. He is a Yogi, because one of the definitions of Yoga is – “Equanimity is Yoga” (in sanskrit – “Samtvam Yoga Uchyate”).
The girl riding on the horse is a perfect example of another definition of Yoga along with ‘Equanimity is Yoga’ – “Excellence in Action is Yoga” (in sanskrit – “Yogah Karmsu Kaushalam).
How about we, all employees! How can we practice ‘Equanimity’ in fierce pressure and perform with ‘Excellence’ to achieve targets?
How can we, be balanced minded and joyful while at the workplace? Why is it important?
Here is a reason: There are four classes in the society. Students, House-holder workers, Retired and Seekers. Except, the house-holder worker, rest three are only consumers of the product and services, but are not producer unlike we, the working community. We supply all needed products and services to the entire society. We are the one who contribute to the ‘world economy’ by working at our organization. We spend about 40-45 years of active life at the workplace. We spend best years of our life at the workplace and best time of a day at the workplace. So, if we are not happy and peaceful at the work, we can not be happy and peaceful in the life.
- Are corporate ready to create ‘spiritual development’ platform in their campus? systems? policies? approaches? and Mind?
- Are Corporate Ready To Go Beyond Buzz Of Emotional Intelligence & For Emotional Well-Being Of Employees?
- While spending whole life for satisfying society’s needs in terms of providing products and services, don’t we – the working class – have the right to the liberation? To the spiritual growth?
This question was addressed by a Guru, for the benefit of the working class of the humanity.
This was the prescription:
Focus on your spiritual development “while on-the-job”
Apart from reasons to thank organisations for offering us a job, like livelihood, belonging, association and status; work / job brings meaning in our life and makes us disciplined through it’s daily routine. The great subtle benefit of ‘work’ is – it gives us an opportunity to express our inner self. Through our work, our internal faculties are getting expression in the form of the performance or the result.
It is during this process of approaching a task, working on it and intention with which we work; define the quality of the outcome. If, we work with ‘Equanimity & Excellence’ coupled with intention to ‘serve’ the society; we feel joy and peace. Intention while performing our duties / tasks is the key. Not the work itself, but our intention will finally define the experience of ‘moment-by-moment’.
As joy and peace gets intensified, other negative emotions and behavior get diluted. This is as reasonable as when we walk towards North, we move away from the South. During the period of practice, some time we may follow either one or two of these three criterias, i.e. equanimity, excellence and pure intention. That is perfectly fine, as long as we are aware of it. Over a period, when all three criteria will be fully expressed, we will become ‘Employee-Yogi’, i.e. externally an employee, internally a yogi.
We need to remember that every day is an opportunity to learn how to express those three criteria and to develop pure intentions. When we work with ‘Equanimity & Excellence’, best result is produced with minimum consumption of resources and production of waste. This is the direct external benefit to the world economy. Based on the purity of our intention towards the work, when we put our best at the work, we get sense of fulfillment and joy. This again contributes to the ‘Happy Workplace’; in turn it will improve productivity, innovation, co-operation and reduce conflict. There are many research findings, which has proved these direct benefits of the ‘happy workplace’ to the organization’s financial health.
Another, logical and fundamental question arises is, why do we seek fulfillment and joy at the first place?
We seek fulfillment and joy, because it is our true nature. That is why; we don’t feel good when we finish work halfheartedly.
Therefore, let us shift paradigm, let us reconfigure our brain, let us not just be an employee, “BE EMPLOYEE-YOGI”; i.e. Employee without, Yogi Within.
Because it is our ‘personal responsibility’ to utilize our job, to grow spiritually, even amidst intense work pressure and competition, during those 40-45 active working years. This is the only way to say ourselves on the deathbed, “I lived well”.
Let Us Awaken Yogi Within! Welcome to “ESR – Employee Spiritual Responsibility”!
